During the last few years it has become desirable to convert air-gas or air-oil fueled furnaces, such as glass making furnaces or melters, to use oxygen instead of air or preheated air. Since the air-gas or air-oil burners use a refractory burner block having an internal flame containing or directing configuration that is undesirable for the preferred oxy-fuel burners, it has been necessary in the past to tear out the old burner blocks and replace them with new burner blocks having the desired internal configuration.
It is desirable to make such a conversion hot and while the melter continues to operate because to turn off and cool down the melter is extremely expensive. Removing the old burner blocks and installing the new blocks while the furnace is hot is difficult, time consuming, and disruptive to the process causing a costly effect on the process. Also, tearing out the old burner block often damages the surrounding wall reducing the life of the melter or requiring hot repairs. Where the furnace is old and the surrounding wall is in less than good condition it is often too risky and the furnace must either await a rebuild for conversion or the furnace must be rebuilt before the life of the refractories is expended, both of which are costly.